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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29707836">Ship Wrecked.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeandSpaceNovelist/pseuds/TimeandSpaceNovelist'>TimeandSpaceNovelist</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Domestic Bliss [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who &amp; Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Board Games, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Fun, Gen, Humor, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:22:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29707836</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeandSpaceNovelist/pseuds/TimeandSpaceNovelist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor learns the hard way, one of the cardinal rules of time and space. Whatever you do, no matter how hard you try, you cannot beat Clara Oswald at board games.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Twelfth Doctor &amp; Clara Oswin Oswald, Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Domestic Bliss [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152947</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ship Wrecked.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Doctor's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed as he locked onto his opponent. The two had been in battle for what felt like centuries, neither backing down from the other's attacks. The Doctor had to admit; he was getting a bit tired now, but he couldn't accept defeat, not now. He needed to win; he had to win. If he could fire off one last shot, then maybe, just maybe, he can overcome this terrible enemy and win this battle. He steadied himself and readied for one more blast. This was the big one.</p><p>"B-6.", the Doctor said as he launched another ship. He waited with bated breath for the response of the opponent sitting across from him. He had her this time. No escape now.</p><p>"Miss.", called out a voice from behind the other side of the board. A small head rose from above the board and looked the Doctor in the eyes with a smile. Clara's smile signaled another failure for the Doctor in the game so far, something she enjoyed seeing. Normally, she wouldn't play the Doctor in any board games, but she had been bored, and the Doctor had been persistent. She had been doing her markings, but her boredom got the better of her (as well as stress over some of the terrible essays she had to witness), so she caved in and they began playing Battleship.</p><p>"Oh, come on! I had you that time. You must be cheating. Show me your side.", the Doctor said exasperatedly, as he missed her again. It was impossible for him to have missed that. He calculated every variable and worked it out. How could he miss? This had been the fifth straight miss in a row for him, which frustrated him to no end. He was the Doctor. He was the man that stopped the monsters. He defeated Daleks, Cybermen, Zygons, Weeping Angles, you name it. Yet somehow he was currently losing in an insignificant Earth game to an English school teacher (albeit his favorite one).</p><p>"No way, Doctor. Take your loss there. For once, just admit that I'm better at you than something.", Clara said as she folded her arms and rolled her eyes at the Doctor's petulant attitude. It had taken him 10 minutes to finally agree that Jane Austen wasn't biased against him and that he had lost the game when they played Monopoly and Jane was the banker. Granted, the kisses Clara and Jane shared after the game may have given him some credence, but she was sure she won it fair and square. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the Doctor was a sore loser. He had once lamented losing to her by calling her a pudding brain under his breath. The sore feeling from the slap on his head didn't subside until she left an hour later.</p><p>"Fine. Now can you take your next turn?", the Doctor said impatiently, wanting Clara to see how it felt to miss. After the streak she had been on, this was definitely the time for her to miss.</p><p>"D-4."</p><p>".... hit." The Doctor's countenance dropped as he suffered yet another hit, this one being fatal. He only hoped that Clara wouldn't have noticed that she had taken out his last ship. Maybe he could bluff his way to a win by pretending to still have ships.</p><p>"Well then. If I'm right, I believe that is your battleship sunk. So that means that I win.", Clara said, a very smug face towards the Doctor, one that as much as it annoyed him, he had to admit it was quite cute on Clara. But unfortunately, she had called him out. He lost to her, again.</p><p>"Yes.... yes you have. Congratulations Clara Oswald. You've beaten me in Battleship.", the Doctor said as he stuck out his hand to congratulate her which she accepted. His statement however, came through gritted teeth. She was right. He had to accept that she was better at him than this. However, he didn't have to do it right away. He'd let her soak up the victory for a little while first.</p><p>"Thank you very much, Doctor. Now was that so hard to do?" Clara asked as the shaking of the Doctor's head gave her her answer. Her smile showed her content with her win as she got up to go back to her markings. But something lingered at the back of her mind, something important, something she needed to get out. "Before I go back, I need to ask you something.", she said as she got the Doctor's attention.</p><p>"What, what is it?", the Doctor said as his attention became fully focused on his Impossible Girl, eager to answer her question or fulfil her request.</p><p>"....... When are you gonna let me know that I was better than you at this game?", Clara said with almost a Cheshire Cat like grin on her face as the Doctor's expression tried to drop to one of annoyance, but his tiny grin betrayed him. She earned it this time. She had soundly beaten him here. He really had no choice.</p><p>The Doctor got up from his chair, put his arms on Clara's shoulders and with a deep breath, looked her in the eyes and said, "You, Clara Oswald, are better than me at Battleship." He really didn't need to do all that before but he wanted to jazz it up a bit, have some fun with her. By her small giggle before he said it, he knew that he had accomplished his task.</p><p>Clara looked the Doctor right back in his eyes before giving him a kiss on the cheek and warmly smiling at him. "Thanks." She said as she rubbed it slightly before going to walk away again.</p><p>"Wha... wha... what was that for?" the Doctor asked as he stuttered because of his discombobulation over the kiss on the cheek. Not that he didn't enjoy it. He just didn't expect it. He rubbed it absentmindedly, mostly to see if it was real or not.</p><p>"A reward, for improvement. You wouldn't have done that so easily last year. You're changing, and for the better.", Clara said as she took her walk back to her study in the Tardis. When she left, the Doctor let himself blush as he completely took in the kiss. He was improving. He found it easier every day to interact with people. The flashcards helped, but if he was honest, it was mostly Clara herself. He wanted to be better for her. To be someone she could be proud of. To be someone she could even lov....no, he couldn't think that way. They were best friends. Yet that couldn't stop the smile on his face as he packed up the Battleship set and put it back into the box, his mind fully focused on his Impossible Girl.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>How do you think you'd fare against Clara? Would you end up like the Doctor or be victorious?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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